Speakers

Dr Janet Kelly is an experienced nurse, midwife, and academic with over 35 years of service across both military and civilian healthcare sectors. She is recognised nationally and internationally for her expertise in military medical ethics, healthcare law, and professional education.

Dr Kelly began her military career in 1989 as a reservist in the British Army before commissioning into the Regular Army in 1992 as a Nursing Officer in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. She completed an eight-year Short Service Commission with deployments to Germany, Gibraltar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo. She currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Army Medical Services (RAMS) Reserve.

In academia, Dr Kelly was a Senior Lecturer in Midwifery and Healthcare Law and Ethics at the University of Hull for twenty years. She is currently an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Military Ethics, King’s College London, and a member of the Defence Medical Services (DMS) Centre for Defence Engagement, Research, and Clinical Innovation in Birmingham. She holds a PhD in Health Studies from the University of Hull, where her thesis examined professional, ethical, and legal challenges in British military healthcare. She also holds an MA in Human Resources Management, an LLB (Hons), and a PGCertHE, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Her scholarly work includes the book Is Medical Ethics in Armed Conflict Identical to Medical Ethics in Peace? (2013), alongside numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including “Legal Issues in Midwifery Care” in Empowering Decision-Making in Midwifery: A Global Perspective (2019). She is a regular speaker at national and international conferences and maintains a research focus on military medical ethics, neonatal ethics, and women’s health in the armed forces.

Dr Kelly has held several significant governance and regulatory positions, including Chair of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Conduct and Competence Committee and Chair of the Royal College of Nursing’s Defence Nursing Forum. She also serves as Legal Trustee for the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps Association. From September 2024 to April 2025, Dr Kelly was mobilised as Chief Instructor of Operation Interbow, a UK-led Defence Engagement programme delivering tactical medical training to Ukrainian military personnel. She led instruction in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), covering life-saving interventions such as haemorrhage control, airway management, and casualty extraction under fire. Under her leadership, the programme combined legal, ethical, and clinical excellence to prepare Ukrainian medics for redeployment to the frontline in response to the war in Ukraine. Dr Kelly also led the integration of the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) and medical ethics into the curriculum, ensuring clinical practice in armed conflict was both lawful and humane. She played a central role in fostering international cooperation with allied training partners.

Following her mobilisation, Dr Kelly returned to her role in the Medical Operational Support Unit, where she continues to serve as one of the CBRN Medical Advisors. She is also the NATO Subject Matter Expert for military medical ethics and is currently developing a NATO online gamified learning programme to advance ethical awareness in military healthcare.
Her work continues to bridge the military and civilian sectors, with a strong focus on ethical leadership, interdisciplinary education, and operational excellence in healthcare.